Inventing Is Hard Work
When I was asked how I go about inventing a toy, I replied that I do a lot of concentrated thinking about a specific niche in the marketplace and think about the creation of a toy or game that would fill that niche. I believe that invention does not come out of nowhere like the conventional light bulb metaphor. Instead, invention is hard work; it requires days, weeks, and months of deliberate thoughts, which ultimately manifest into a concept. Throughout my career I never failed to come up with a solution to a problem or create a brand-new invention.
I had the ability to invent whenever the need occurred. For example, when Fisher Price, Mattel, Hasbro, or any of the major toy manufacturers called to say that they would be in New York and asked if I had anything to show them, I would always say yes, even though most times I had nothing new. After making an appointment to meet, I would within two weeks have at least a half dozen working prototypes to present. I had and still have the ability to invent.
I still love the process of inventing.